Archives - 01 December 2017, Friday

John Voelcker Dec 1, 2017 Follow John Add to circle 2017 Nissan Leaf Enlarge Photo Common wisdom has it that the last few days of any calendar year are the best time to buy a car. Not only are franchised dealers and their salespeople seeking to close out the month with a bang, but it'...

The largest product and technology offensive in the history of the Volkswagen brand is now taking shape. 100 weeks ahead of the planned start of production of the first model in the I.D. family, the brand Board of Management agreed on milestones in the run-up to production with key su...

Like almost everyone else, I was blown away by Tesla’s surprise introduction of the second-generation Roadster at the recent semi-truck reveal event. Zero to sixty in 1.9 seconds, a 620-mile range, gorgeous sleek lines, and a price of $200,000. Mind-blowing indeed. But a few of the ne...

The 2018 Niro Plug-in Hybrid brings an exciting new dimension to Kia’s alternative fuel car line-up. As Kia’s third plug-in model, and anticipated in retailer showrooms by the end of this year, the Niro PHEV offers the same crossover utility, fun-driving and winning design of the Niro...

The target announced in April for the end of 2017 has already been achieved by the end of November: Deutsche Post DHL Group, now has 5,000 StreetScooters in service delivering mail and parcels. After approximately 13 million kilometers driven, the results are very gratifying for the c...

The Kia Niro lineup is gaining a new family member before the end of the year. Making its debut at the 2017 L.A. Auto Show, the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid is the Korean automaker’s third plug-in model and has an estimated 26 miles of all-electric range. Total driving range is rated up to...

We were treated with the debut of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL today, but that wasn’t the only major announcement to come from the automaker. During the presentation for the Wrangler JL, Jeep brand boss Mike Manley revealed the automaker plans to roll out a plug-in hybrid version of the ...

2018 Hyundai Kona and 2018 Nissan Kicks Enlarge Photo Ten years ago, the subcompact crossover segment barely existed. Now multiple automakers are clamoring for your attention as each brand rushes to bring its own take on the small utility to market. At this week's 2017 Los Angeles aut...

Once again, the Chevrolet Bolt EV raised its all-time high sales with 2,987 deliveries in November, putting its extended-range electric Volt sibling clearly in its rear-view mirror. The Volt sold 1,702 units, and with one month to go this year, the Bolt has 20,070 sales, and the Volt ...

For the first time, Audi will be competing in motorsport as a factory team with a fully electric race car this weekend (December 2/3). The two races in Hong Kong form the opening event of the new Formula E season in which Audi is the first German automobile manufacturer to be involved...

Musk says that the new Tesla Roadster has a top speed greater than 250 mph, which would make it among the fastest road-legal cars ever built. Tesla says the Roadster is capable of running the quarter mile in just 8.8 seconds, which makes it faster than the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.

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The pervasive opinion among truck enthusiasts and industry experts is that nobody cares about plug-in hybrid pickups. Fuel economy isn’t a major priority among those in the market for something that can haul bales of hay or a stable of horses. This poses a problem for pickup manufactu...

– Does not report exactly monthly sales Tesla Model 3 delivered 220 units in the Q3 of 2017. The first production Model 3 vehicles are pre-configured with rear-wheel drive, a long-range battery starting at $44,000, with premium upgrades for an additional $5,000. This vehicle will offe...

Whether you go with the all-electric or the plug-in hybrid, you’ll be able to charge your Clarity right from the comfort of home. Even if you choose a hybrid, you won’t have to make many trips to the gas station if you charge up regularly. Some people charge their EVs at home by plugg...

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ChargePoint Express Plus gets ready for the next 10 years of EV charging with speed and scalability EVs have a banner year with the release of the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Clarity, Hyundai Ioniq, Toyota Prius Prime, Tesla Model 3 and other new models SCE, SDG&E and PG&E all create suc...

Anyone worried about the wussyfication of the Wrangler to satisfy tree huggers and liberals need have no fear. Not only will the electrified power train for the plug-in models offer more low end grunt from its electric motor, it will still be able to ford through 30 inches of standing...

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a new study that finds it is cheaper to drive an EV than a conventional car — about $770 a year cheaper, on average. Let’s begin by acknowledging that numbers can be interpreted in many interesting ways and those savings may or may not ap...